From auto driver to chief minister: The journey of Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde

In a dramatic twist to the political developments in Maharashtra, the BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis announced that Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde would be sworn-in as the next chief minister of Maharashtra. The announcement came after Fadnavis and Shinde met Governor BS Koshyari at Raj Bhavan. Fadnavis’s announcement defied expectations that he would return as chief minister with the support of the Shinde faction. Shinde alone will take oath of office at 7.30 pm, and cabinet expansion will take place later, Fadnavis said at a press conference at Raj Bhavan premises after meeting Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari along with Shinde. “I will not betray the faith Fadnavis has placed in me,” Shinde told the media. The BJP will extend support to Shinde’s group, said Fadnavis, a former chief minister and currently leader of opposition in the Assembly. BJP is the single largest party in the legislature. “I will be out of government but will ensure smooth functioning of the government which is coming as an alternative after Uddhav Thackeray resigned,” Fadnavis said. Sena (rebels) as well as BJP MLAs and some independents will be sworn in as ministers during the expansion, he added. This was not a battle for power but for principles and Hindutva ideology, he said, adding that the BJP was against imposing elections on the state at this juncture.Fadnavis said Shinde will be sworn in as CM at Raj Bhavan at 7.30 pm on Thursday. Addressing a press conference with BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis,  Shinde said he was happy as a minister in the Uddhav Thackeray-led government but was noticing what was happening around, as per The Hindu. “I will take the thought of Hindutva forward. When 50 MLAs take a different stand, it should have been noted seriously. I was happy as minister but was seeing what is wrong happening around. That’s why I decided to take this decision,” Shinde said. “BJP has more than 106 MLAs and independents but still they give me, a Sena worker, the opportunity. I thank Modiji, Shahji and Fadnavis ji for this,” he said. “Fadnavis is such a large hearted person. He won’t be in cabinet but still he has given up on everything.” “These 50 MLAs (rebel Sena MLAs and independents) have shown great trust in me. I will ensure that their trust is not violated. We are 50 and here are 120. It’s a great strength and i am sure many more will come. The Centre and State will walk together and will take the State on the path of development” Shinde added. Let’s take a closer look at Shinde, the man who brought down the Maha Vikas Aghadi government: Who is Shinde? As per India Today, Shinde is a mass leader who has played a crucial role in strengthening the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra particularly in Thane. The Shinde family originally belongs to Satara district and moved to Thane in the ’70s when Shinde was just a child, as per Indian Express. As per Indian Express, before Shinde worked in a brewery and drove an autorickshaw to make ends meet before rising up the Shiv Sena ranks. [caption id=“attachment_4214361” align=“alignnone” width=“380”]  File image of late Bal Thackeray. AFP[/caption] As per News18, Shinde, while working odd jobs, was influenced by Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray and Sena’s Thane District Chief Anand Dighe and joined the party in the 1980s. Shinde became close to to then Thane district Sena president Anand Dighe, who ran the local unit with an iron fist and was instrumental in making the Shiv Sena a dominant force in the area. As Shinde modelled his appearance too after his mentor, Dighe had rewarded his loyalty with helping him win a seat in the Thane Municipal Corporation in 1997, as per the report. He has the loyalty many party MLAs for being accessible – especially when an appointment at Matoshree can be tough – and being generous with economic largesse. He has been responsible for organising Sena’s major political events. His son Shrikant is Sena’s Member of Parliament from Kalyan.

Shinde has been elected for four back-to-back terms in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly: 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2019.  

Like his mentor Dighe, Shinde is a man of few words not known for oratorial flourishes. What he has is an agitational and belligerent style of functioning and, till now, deep loyalty to the Sena – all qualities that have helped his rise in the party, Indian Express. He was named Leader of the Opposition in 2014 after the Shiv Sena and the BJP fell out with each other. When the Maha Vikas Aghadi government was formed, Shinde became cabinet minister for Urban Development and Public Works (Public Undertakings). He is currently the minister of urban affairs. [caption id=“attachment_9588961” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  File image of Aaditya Thackeray. PTI[/caption] He recently accompanied  Aaditya Thackeray on his trip to Ayodhya. What upset Shinde? As per India Today, there have been reports that Shinde was upset with the Sena leadership for allegedly being side-lined. Shiv Sena sources told The Indian Express the Shiv Sena’s decision to override his suggestion that the party contest the Thane Municipal Corporation polls alone might have been the final straw. Shinde, who was categorically told that the party would contest in alliance with the NCP and Congress, reportedly took affront to both the content and the manner of the communication via leaders including Sanjay Raut, as per the newspaper report. Shinde, who holds the department of urban development, wants to become the deputy chief minister, a Congress minister told PTI on condition of anonymity. “An upheaval was going on in the Shiv Sena for nearly a week”, the leader said. There’s another angle to this as well. As per The Times of India, the political turmoil in Maharashtra over cross voting in legislative Assembly in favour of BJP by ruling party MLAs is believed to be the reason behind the MLAs suddenly going missing from Mumbai and reaching Surat. Shinde’s  rebellion The trouble began soon after the 20 June elections to the Legislative Council. Shinde went MIA and leadership was unable to contact him Soon, reports began surfacing that Shinde and a group of MLAs were in Surat. [caption id=“attachment_10848721” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  File image of Uddhav Thackeray.[/caption] A spooked Uddhav called a meet with his Shiv Sena MLAs the very next day but another dozen or so didn’t turn up. Shinde was then removed from the party whip’s post as the party lodged its MLAs across Mumbai hotels. Eknath Shinde asks Uddhav Thackeray to break MVA alliance and form government with BJP. Shinde claimed support of more than 40 MLAs which would be enough to avoid disqualification under anti-defection law – the magic number is 37. By 22 June, Shinde and his breakaway faction had reached Assam. That same evening, Uddhav, announcing he was prepared to step down as chief minister, left the official residence. Senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut accused the BJP of revolting within the Shiv Sena and trying to topple the MVA coalition government. On 23 June, Shinde and 37 MLAs declared Shinde the leader of the Shiv Sena Legislature Party. The Shiv Sena the next day filed a petition against the rebel MLAs and demanded that Maharashtra Assembly Deputy Speaker Narhari Jirwal disqualify 16 MLAs of the Shinde camp. Jirwal met Shiv Sena leaders and later also met the Advocate General of Maharashtra for a legal opinion. Two independent MLAs supporting the BJP moved a no-confidence motion against Jirwal. This no-confidence vote signed by 34 MLAs was rejected by Jirwal as the petition was sent through an anonymous e-mail. On the same day, Shinde reportedly met Home Minister Amit Shah and former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Vadodara, Gujarat. According to sources, the plan of merger or alliance to topple the MVA government was discussed in this meeting. On 26 June, Shinde moved the Supreme Court over the rejection of the no-confidence vote against the deputy speaker. On 27 June, the Supreme Court of India fixed the next hearing on 11 July and directed Deputy Speaker Jirwal to file a detailed affidavit regarding the no-confidence motion against him. On 28 June, sources said that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had met Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis twice to save the government. Uday Samant clarified that he reached Guwahati after getting fed up with the conspiracy being hatched by allies to weaken the Shiv Sena party for the past few days. Former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis along with the BJP delegation met the governor yesterday and demanded a floor test. Meanwhile, Shinde and his faction landed in Goa last evening to prepare for a possible test of strength. Hearing the petition of the rebel MLAs, the Supreme Court ordered a floor test on 30 June. Uddhav, who chaired a cabinet meeting and gave the nod to rename Aurangabad as Sambhajingar, announced his resignation shortly after. “I am resigning as the Chief Minister. I don’t want a hand in the blood of Shiv Sainiks that may be spilled tomorrow,” Mr Thackeray said during the Facebook live address last evening where he announced his resignation. “Those whom we promoted and built up, they are the ones who have betrayed us,” he added in a direct hit at the rebels. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.